It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming! I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom, for Monday, May 13th.
The pastoral landscape south of Cheyenne is getting carved up to make way for a Canadian company's $1.2 billion dollar solar farm project that will supply electricity to data centers on the south edge of the city.
And not everyone's happy about it, according to energy reporter Pat Maio, who spent a day last week with rancher Ed Prosser, whose land will be surrounded by the solar project.
“I would describe it as kind of a sad tale. You know, his family's been ranching cattle for literally 120 some odd years almost… the property, we toured it in his pickup truck. There's like four miles of land on the north part of his property. On the other side, they're gonna build the solar panels, and we're talking about 1.2 million solar panels. And then there's two miles roughly on the east side of his property that also will have solar panels. So he's kind of locked in to a certain extent, by this huge solar farm in these beautiful grasslands.”
Since April 2020, Alberta-based Enbridge has worked to get its solar farm project off the ground, taking up leases with most of Prosser’s ranching neighbors to the east and north. If everything goes according to plan, Enbridge will begin building more than 1 million solar panels around Prosser’s land starting next spring.
The tides of change can already be seen along the skyline of Cody, Wyoming.
Instead of a relatively unobstructed view of Cedar and Rattlesnake mountains overlooking the city, now anyone looking that way will see a large yellow crane. Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the crane, along with storage crates filled with construction materials, are sitting at the staging area for a controversial Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple, which a group of local residents are trying to stop from being built.
“These materials had previously been located at the Y-Tex Corporation, which is a business located in a different part of town that is owned by a member of the church who donated the land to the church for the temple construction… Spoke to Carla Egelhoff, who's one of the organizers of the ‘Protect Our Cody Neighborhoods’ group that's most vocally opposing the church… She says her group's case is strong in court and that they believe they have a legitimate chance to have the temple construction blocked.”
The church owns the temple property and is fully allowed to use the site to keep the containers there.
Jackson’s Silver Dollar Bar packs history-making stories of gambling, movie stars and unforgettable nights into its 74-year legacy.
Cowboy State Daily’s Jake Nichols says the Silver Dollar is a go-to spot in a town full of go-to spots.
“There's, like, two things about the Silver Dollar Bar. I mean, one is the history, and you really feel it. I do, because I know a lot of it. And even for people who don't know, a quick trip to the restroom will get you informed on the history. Down the hallway is all the photographs of any of the people who have been there. But the real thing about this Silver Dollar Bar is what we all learned with ‘Cheers.’ It's not a place. It's the people. And I know there's the silver dollars laid in the bar, and that's cool. But it's the colorful characters that have come to drink and eat there for almost 80 years. It's the staff and management that have worked there, some for decades. And this steady ownership that stays committed to that place, people more important than coins.”
In 2001, the Wort Hotel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Bill Baxter bought the property in 2003 and continues to honor the past, continuing the establishment’s tradition of providing true Western hospitality.
If you live in rural southeast Wyoming, don't expect overnight delivery anymore from UPS - they've discontinued the service in favor of three days a week.
Those who rely on overnight delivery of medications and other necessities are scrambling for other options, according to business reporter Renee Jean.
“We've heard from the Kindness Ranch down near Hartville, Wyoming, that he can no longer get overnight pet supplies, medications, laptops, you know, equipment, things that he's needing. He's someone who, you know, gets emergency calls to come and rescue animals, maybe 70 at a time. So being able to overnight things is very important to him… And of course, it's not just an issue for Kindness Ranch, there are lots of people there who use UPS deliveries to get their medications.”
Jean points out that FedEx may be the only overnight option available to the rural residents, as the Postal Service has recently announced that it will be moving its regional distribution center from Cheyenne to Denver.
One of the trends sweeping the U.S. bathroom industry are smart toilets, packed with technology and luxury. And Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that homeowners in Teton County are following that trend and paying up to $20,000 per toilet.
“I spoke to someone who works at a showroom for an appliance and hardware company in Jackson, and she told me that they're putting smart toilets in almost every home that they work on now, at least one - sometimes many. And the thing about smart toilets is, they're smaller and they're more compact, and they use less water. But they also come with a number of interesting amenities, like heated seats, they've got air dryers under the seat to dry things off, and they're seen as a hygienic upgrade - and an expensive one, because they can run between $5,000 and $20,000.”
Higher-end smart toilets also include built-in deodorizers, nightlights and lids that automatically open and close.
And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming’s only statewide newspaper by hitting the subscribe button on cowboystatedaily.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.
Radio Stations
The following radio stations are airing Cowboy State Daily Radio on weekday mornings, afternoons and evenings. More radio stations will be added soon.
KYDT 103.1 FM – Sundance
KBFS 1450 AM — Sundance
KYCN 1340 AM / 92.7 FM — Wheatland
KZEW 101.7 FM — Wheatland
KANT 104.1 FM — Guernsey
KZQL 105.5 FM — Casper
KMXW 92.5 FM — Casper
KBDY 102.1 FM — Saratoga
KTGA 99.3 FM — Saratoga
KJAX 93.5 FM — Jackson
KZWY 106.3 FM — Sheridan
KROE 930 AM / 103.9 FM — Sheridan
KWYO 1410 AM / 106.9 FM — Sheridan
KYOY 92.3 FM Hillsdale-Cheyenne / 106.9 FM Cheyenne
KRAE 1480 AM — Cheyenne
KDLY 97.5 FM — Lander
KOVE 1330 AM — Lander
KZMQ 100.3/102.3 FM — Cody, Powell, Medicine Wheel, Greybull, Basin, Meeteetse
KKLX 96.1 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Ten Sleep, Greybull
KCGL 104.1 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin, Lovell, Clark, Red Lodge, MT
KTAG 97.9 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin
KCWB 92.1 FM — Cody, Powell, Basin
KVGL 105.7 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Basin, Ten Sleep
KODI 1400 AM / 96.7 FM — Cody, Powell, Lovell, Basin, Clark, Red Lodge
KWOR 1340 AM / 104.7 FM — Worland, Thermopolis, Ten Sleep
KREO 93.5 FM — Sweetwater and Sublette Counties
KGOS 1490 AM — Goshen County
KERM 98.3 FM — Goshen County
Check with individual radio stations for airtime of the newscasts.
